Jim Sauter (left) and Kid Millions, blowin' your ears out. Lisa Corson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Lisa Corson/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Kid Millions & Jim Sauter, 'Game Jump'

November 6, 2014 • Borbetomagus' Jim Sauter stabs at his feedback-ridden sax while Oneida's Kid Millions enters a manic headspace with hydra-armed drum work. It's improvised mayhem, but it seems to grin from ear to ear.

Listen Loading… 5:17

Playlist

A Pregnant Light. Ashley Sheridan/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Ashley Sheridan/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: A Pregnant Light, 'Born To Ruin'

October 30, 2014 • As a solo artist, Damian Master is unbound by the metal in his catalog. "Born To Ruin" contains his most anthemic statement of purpose yet, curled under a swaggering riff and his fire-spitting bark.

Listen Loading… 4:18

Playlist

Crying, mostly not crying. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Songs We Love

Crying, 'War Of Attrition'

October 29, 2014 • As outrageous power-pop hooks go note-for-note with a series of ecstatic 8-bit blips, the soulful coo of Elaiza Santos nicely offsets Crying's penchant for playful excess.

Listen Loading… 2:33

Playlist

A still from "Brando." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

All Songs TV

Scott Walker + Sunn O))), 'Brando'

October 23, 2014 • Soused matches Walker's spellbinding compositions and voice with Sunn O)))'s metallic abyss. Like the album, Gisèle Vienne's short film is bewildering and fraught with terror that's unspoken.

Chumped. Rebecca Reed/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Rebecca Reed/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Chumped, 'Name That Thing'

October 22, 2014 • This catchy pop-punk song has a wistful quality befitting a desire to cling desperately to youth.

Listen Loading… 2:13

Playlist

Black Clouds. Chris Bavaria/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Chris Bavaria/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Black Clouds, 'And Then I Dove'

October 21, 2014 • The D.C. instrumental rock band's hefty track sends vibrations through the chest. Black Clouds' melodies are tastefully driven through what's surely a spaceship-console-worthy rack of effects pedals.

Wildhoney. Pat McQuade/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Pat McQuade/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Wildhoney, 'Fall In'

October 21, 2014 • The Baltimore shoegaze band bends space with a seismic guitar, washes it in a mess of crashing cymbals and coos sweetly in a dreamy pop song.

Listen Loading… 2:21

Playlist

Restorations' new album, LP3, comes out Oct. 28. Andrew Swartz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Andrew Swartz/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Restorations, 'LP3'

October 19, 2014 • With its roots in punk and heartland rock, LP3 is a rattling, unpinnable record that doesn't know when to stop baring its soul.

Listen Loading… Audio is not available.

Hungry Cloud Darkening. Kenneth M. Piekarski / Paul Benson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Kenneth M. Piekarski / Paul Benson/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Hungry Cloud Darkening, 'I Am Seen'

October 6, 2014 • Part bummer Beach Boys, part Twin Peaks soundtrack, Mount Eerie's backing band sounds like the moment before waking, when images blur into a glassy-eyed soup.

Listen Loading… 2:46

Playlist

Kayo Dot. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Kayo Dot, 'The Mortality Of Doves'

September 30, 2014 • If Mr. Mister's atmospheric ballad "Broken Wings" had been written for a proggy space opera, it might sound something like this cyberpunk slow jam.

Beach Slang. Jessica Flynn/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Jessica Flynn/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Beach Slang, 'Dirty Cigarettes'

September 17, 2014 • Sure, Beach Slang's got a Goo Goo Dolls thing going on. But the shimmering "Dirty Cigarettes" feels lived-in, even ugly, by comparison.

Xerxes. Mary Burks/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Mary Burks/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Xerxes, 'Collision Blonde'

September 12, 2014 • The Louisville post-hardcore band always had some caustic melody to it. But the band's new album explodes its palette with the boomy, gloomy atmospheres of The Cure.

The no-frills punk-pop band See Gulls is one of many Raleigh bands playing the Hopscotch Music Festival. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Hopscotch 5

September 4, 2014 • The Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, N.C., has unbridled enthusiasm for its hometown artists. Download new music from the noisily catchy No Love, the brooding funkss, See Gulls, and more.

Perfect Pussy's new album, Say Yes to Love, comes out March 18. Drew Reynolds/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Drew Reynolds/Courtesy of the artist

Songs We Love

Perfect Pussy, 'Interference Fits'

June 30, 2014 • Sweetness and noise struggle for dominance in music that makes hardcore punk beautiful.

Lars Gotrich

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Kid Millions & Jim Sauter, 'Game Jump'

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: A Pregnant Light, 'Born To Ruin'

Songs We Love

Crying, 'War Of Attrition'

All Songs TV

Scott Walker + Sunn O))), 'Brando'

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Chumped, 'Name That Thing'

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Black Clouds, 'And Then I Dove'

All Songs Considered

Viking's Choice: Wildhoney, 'Fall In'

First Listen

First Listen: Restorations, 'LP3'

All Songs Considered

Hungry Cloud Darkening, 'I Am Seen'

All Songs Considered

Kayo Dot, 'The Mortality Of Doves'

All Songs Considered

Beach Slang, 'Dirty Cigarettes'

All Songs Considered

Xerxes, 'Collision Blonde'

All Songs Considered

The Hopscotch 5

Songs We Love

Perfect Pussy, 'Interference Fits'

Most Viewed

Commentary

Bomb Techs Work Through 'Dark Spots' To Brighter Lives

Around the Nation

OOPS! 'Morning Edition's' Best Bloopers

Science

How A Tilt Toward Safety Stopped A Scientist's Virus Research